The Queens Economic Development Corporation (QEDC) will host an inaugural “Building Queens” development and investment conference in Long Island City next month, bringing together a variety of stakeholders across the borough to discuss the “unprecedented wave” of current investment in Queens.
The half-day conference, which will take place at the Brewster LIC conference center, is scheduled to take place from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 15, bringing together leaders from a wide range of sectors, including government, real estate, infrastructure, organized labor, construction, economic development and major institutions.
The conference will feature roundtables, panel discussions and showcases focusing on some of the major developments planned for the borough, including ongoing renovations at JFK Airport; NYCFC’s new soccer stadium, which is nearing completion in Willets Point; the planned Metropolitan Park and Resorts World NYC casino projects; and neighborhood rezoning proposals like the OneLIC Neighborhood Plan.
“There’s more than $62 billion in public and private investment coming to every corner of the borough,” said QEDC Executive Director Ben Guttmann. “If Queens is not the single most active place in the country for development, it’s one of the top two or three.”
He added that the current wave of investment and major projects marks the “most exciting moment for Queens in anybody’s memory.”
Guttmann said the upcoming development conference takes place at a “really crucial time” by convening leaders across a multitude of sectors. He added that the conference aims to also “build on the current momentum” and ensure that this investment is not a one-off.
“There’s so much happening here now. How do we how do we use this to kind of catalyze that next chapter of this borough’s economic future,” Guttmann said.
A number of speakers have already been confirmed for the upcoming conference, including Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Port Authority of New York Executive Director Kathryn Garcia and City Planning Commission Chair Sideya Sherman.
Representatives from NYCFC, Metropolitan Park, Resorts World and construction firm McKissack & McKissack will also speak at the conference, joining representatives from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Con Edison and JFK.
The event will feature a “Megaprojects Roundtable” focusing on some of the major projects taking place in the borough as well as a series of “Project Showcase” presentations. The half-day event will also include a “How Queens Builds” panel discussion focusing labor, local suppliers, technology and minority and women-owned businesses.
Guttmann said the event provides an opportunity to foster connections between individuals overseeing the transformation.
“There’s no replacement for getting everybody in the same room and being able to talk to each other, see each other face to face, build connections, build opportunities,” he said.
Tickets are currently on sale for the Building Queens conference, while limited sponsorship opportunities also remain.